Railroad-spike



(No' Model.)

H. WALTMANN,

RAILROAD SPIKE. No. 412,436. Patented Oct. 8, 1889.

l I/IZ HESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. -WALTMANN, OF LOMIRA, WISCONSIN.

RAILROAD-SP! KE.

SPECIFICATION V Application filed June 17, 1889.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY M. WALTMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lomira, in the county of Dodge and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Spikes; and I do this specification.

My invention relates to railroad-spikes; and its objects are, first, to prolong the life of said articles; second, to increase the holding power of the spike; third, to protect the head from displacement while driving it in; fourth, to afiord an alternative mode of holding the web of the rail-that is, either by the head or the shoulder of the spike-and, fifth, to secure these ends with structural simplicity and economy. I attain these aims by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a cross-section of an ordinary rail, showing the method of its joinder to the tie as contemplated by my invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the spike, and Fig. 3 indicates a front elevation thereof.

The same designations indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The ease of travel is'greatly promoted by a wellballasted road-bed and securely-laid rails. The present manner of fastening the v rails by spikes as now constructed is defective, because'in driving them the heads are forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,436, dated October 8,1889.

serial No, 314,663- (No model.)

loosened by the-reaction of the rails, and this is intensified by the jar occasioned by the passage of trains. Therefore I have devised a spike wherein the strain above mentioned shall be entirely borne by a shoulder, which prolongs, therefore, the integrity and serviceableness of the spike.

The spike A has a pointed end a and a shoulder b at right angles both to the line of the spike A and of its head B.

0 represents the rail, having a web 0.

D is the tie.

It will be apparent that the spike A can optionally be driven so that its shoulder 11 shall abut the Web 0, or so that the head B will assume that position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- As an improved article of manufacture, a railroad spike Whose body A is uniformly straight centrally and tapers downwardly at 'one-fifthof the distance from the bottom to a point a, which is in the axial line of the body A, its upper terminus being provided with a shoulder 19 at right angles to the axis of the body A, surmounted by a head B, parallel therewith, and projecting on the side opposite said shoulder a greater distance beyond the body A than on the side adjacent thereto to secure a more stable joinder, as herein set forth and illustrated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY M. \VALTMANN,

Witnesses:

PETER ZEHREN, LQUIS NAGE s 

